From a Standard-Issue Bathroom to a Masculine-Yet-Romantic Escape

Jonathan Stiers, the blogger (and designer) behind The Stiers Aesthetic, bought his house eight years ago — and since that day, he had left the master bath exactly the same.

And it was fine space. The room featured all the trappings of an efficient, livable bathroom, including decent-looking builder-grade fixtures, a soaker tub and separate shower, but between the plain brown walls (and ceiling!) and travertine tile, the room just seemed cramped and, in Spiers own words, "dreary." So he decided it was time for an upgrade.

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But first, to get a real sense, here's a before glimpse:

The Stiers Aesthetic

Stier's main inspiration for the renovation came from a Marilyn Monroe print he had. After realizing how much he admired it, he knew the new room should be an ode to 1940's Hollywood glamour, starring black, white and gray.

The revamp brought in charcoal ceramic tile in a woodgrain pattern as well as a classic pedestal tub from Rejuvenation. Stier painted the walls a soft gray shade, and created a white subway tile accent wall, arranged in 90-degree herringbone, to accentuate the new double-sink vanity.

The most dramatic update in this makeover? Knocking out the separate shower "room" and creating a new spacious walk-in shower, which is custom-made out of steel that echoes the look of (a very large) telephone booth.

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